


Guiding Hand

by PockySquirrel



Category: Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 14:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4308138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/pseuds/PockySquirrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Running a restaurant and surviving Angel Grove's frequent monster attacks was hard enough. Now Adelle finds herself an informal mentor to the Rangers themselves, all the while trying not to let on that she knows their secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guiding Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rivulet027](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/gifts).



Adelle thought she knew what she was getting into, moving to Angel Grove. The place had, after all, become a household name for superheroes, monster attacks, and other paranormal happenings. Everyone she had met since arriving had at some point over the past few years been kidnapped, brainwashed, put under a spell, or at least knew someone who had. The monster sirens were ubiquitous, the insurance premiums were outrageous, and something was always under construction. By the time she had gotten the restaurant open and started to build up a decent customer base, she thought she had a decent handle on what life in Angel Grove was all about. Or at least that she knew what to expect.

She hadn’t expected the Power Rangers themselves to walk into her establishment. 

Now, no one in Angel Grove claimed to have any real idea who the Power Rangers were, but everyone had a theory, some more ridiculous than others. Adelle sorted it out in the first five minutes. Fast enough that she had to honestly wonder if more people knew the truth than were letting on. She might have spent longer wondering about it, but Andros was a dead giveaway. The boy came out and said outright that he was from another planet, and he was weird enough that she believed him. Between that, the color-coded outfits, and the matching high-tech computer-watches, the pieces all fell together. 

She went back to the kitchen, picked up a fresh basket of her award-winning fries, and delivered it to their table, on the house. Maybe she was wrong; maybe Andros was just a weird kid and this was all just an odd set of coincidences. But if she was wrong, the chance was well worth the cost of a basket of fries. If she was right, she wanted them to come back. To keep coming back.

They were kids, dammit. Just kids. Somebody had to take care of them. 

***

The more often the Rangers came around, the more certain she was of who they were. At the very least, they always made sure to pay the bill whenever those watches of theirs started beeping and they ran off in the middle of their meal. And she politely overlooked Andros’s involvement in the whole fiasco with her van. The boy was an alien; he clearly didn’t know any better. She had the van back and the real thieves were paying their debt to society, so no harm was done. Andros did seem to have a lot to learn about living on Earth, though. That would have to be dealt with.

Adelle tried to teach him a few things. Subtly, of course, lest the poor things realize she knew their secret and panic. Just things she thought would make him feel more at home, or that at the very least might help him blend in better when his friends weren’t around. It wasn’t often that he showed up without them, but it did happen once in awhile, during the quiet periods between monster attacks and whenever the other four were busy with school. He was always by himself when they weren’t around, and rather reminded Adelle of a lost dog.

She noticed early on that Andros tended to watch his friends and emulate them when they were around. So she started demonstrating how things worked in the hope that he would watch her as well, and catch on just as easily. It proved an effective strategy. Before long, Andros had stopped trying to eat fruit without peeling it, had realized that repeatedly swiping his index finger across a magazine didn’t work nearly so well as turning the pages, and no longer jumped like a spooked rabbit at the noises made by the arcade machines. 

He seemed...perhaps not happier, but at the very least more comfortable. Though he seemed to perpetually radiate a sadness that had Adelle aching to hug him - and she would have, if she thought for a second he’d allow it - some of the obvious tension and wariness she had seen in him at first had drained away. 

One day, a few months after the Rangers had started coming in, a sixth Ranger in silver appeared and Andros brought a friend to the Surf Spot. These two things were no coincidence. This new young man had oddly-tinted blond hair and wore a silver shirt, and looked at everything around him as though it was brand new. And Andros? He was wearing the brightest, most genuine smile Adelle had ever seen on his face.

As she swooped in to stop the new arrival from unintentionally ruining both her soda dispenser and his outfit, she couldn’t help smiling as well.

***

Adelle often wondered how the kids had ended up becoming Power Rangers in the first place. It seemed unfair, people so young being burdened with a responsibility so heavy. They were good kids, though, and the fact that civilization on Earth was still standing suggested that they were certainly up to the challenge. But she did see it start to wear on them, sometimes. They'd be absent from the restaurant for days on end, only to return looking disappointed, frustrated, and tired. Usually all it took was some time relaxing and doing normal kid things, and they would be like their old selves again in no time. The Surf Spot was rapidly becoming a second home for them, so Adelle had ample opportunity to check in on them. And feed them, of course. Good food, welcoming atmosphere, and a little bit of normalcy could do a world of good. 

And of course, Adelle had gotten to know the Rangers just as she would have any of her other regular customers. They had gotten to know her, as well, and trusted her enough to start making use of the listening ear she so readily offered. Never Andros or Zhane, but the four from Earth started talking to her, seeking her guidance in careful ways.

The girls were both the first to open up to her, and the easiest to deal with. Adelle remembered what it was like to be a girl of that age, and other than the whole ‘saving the world’ thing, not much had changed. Ashley and Cassie were the two that Adelle worried about the least. Other than having too much concern for their friends and perhaps not enough for themselves, they seemed to have it together most of the time, and Adelle respected them greatly. The only time she ever saw the two of them starting to wear thin, they each showed up at the Surf Spot, separately, and apparently with the express purpose of complaining about the other. Adelle patiently listened to each of them rant and air their grievances, and then offered up some words of understanding. And a few choice stories about the friend she’d shared an apartment with in her early 20s, for good measure, because if that couldn’t convince them things weren’t as bad as they thought, nothing could. The storm passed quickly, and Adelle was pleased to see them back together at the end of it. Those girls had good heads on their shoulders, both of them. They'd be all right.

Carlos was another story. He came in looking particularly dejected one time, and when pressed had responded with “Sometimes I feel like my friends would be better off without me.” He’d given her a good scare with that one, and she kept a closer eye on him after that. 

***

Adelle came out from closing down the kitchen one evening to find TJ still in the restaurant, sitting by himself at the chess board. It wasn’t set up properly; cleared of all but ten pieces, five white, and five black. She watched as he studied them intently, repositioned them, and repeated the process. Again and again. Planning.

“You know we closed an hour ago, right?” Adelle said, and watched as TJ startled and nearly fell out of his chair.

“Sorry. Guess I just lost track of time,” he replied, sheepish.

“Guess so,” she agreed. “You know, sometimes when I’m faced with a problem I can’t solve, it helps me to just step away from it for a little while. Get some rest or do something different, and then bam - you realize the answer was right there all along.”

TJ managed a smile. “Not thinking about it will be easier said than done. But I’ll try. Thanks.”

She sent him on his way and reset the chess board, wondering just what it was he had been trying to puzzle out. Things seemed like they were coming to a head lately, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that the fighting would be over soon - for better or for worse.

***

On that day, it was the thought of her young friends hidden somewhere in that crowd of people, frightened and weary, that compelled her to step forward.

“You can call me the Pink Ranger!” she called out, taking up the defiant cry that Bulk and Skull had started. 

Others in the crowd followed suit, and finally, Adelle heard TJ’s voice rise up over all the shouting.

And she was proven right.

***

The Rangers vanished shortly after their last battle. Adelle could scarcely blame them; the firestorm of publicity that surrounded the end of the war against Astronema’s forces and the revelation of their identities was enough to scare anyone off. Still, she thought about them often. She’d gotten into the habit of worrying about those kids, and it was a tough habit to break.

It was Cassie who finally reappeared, ducking into the Surf Spot shortly before closing time, eyes darting about in the clear hope that no one would notice her. When she pulled up a stool at the front counter, Adelle did her best to oblige.

“Well,” she said, greeting the girl with a gentle smile and keeping her voice low. “Look what the spaceship dragged in. Where’ve you been?”

“It has been awhile, hasn’t it?” Cassie said. “We’ve been away, mostly...helping Andros and Zhane rebuild things on their planet.”

“Well, you be sure to send those boys my best. Now, what can I get for you?”

“Actually,” Cassie said. “I know I’m late, but I just wanted to stop by and say...thanks. One Pink Ranger to another?”

Adelle chuckled. “Always was my favorite color. But what on Earth are you thanking me for? You’re the one who helped save the universe.”

Cassie shrugged. “Just for being there, you know? Because you always were.”

“I did try my best,” Adelle admitted. “After all, somebody had to look after you kids.”

“Wait, are you saying...did you know?” Cassie said, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“The entire time.”

Cassie dropped her head onto the counter and laughed as Adelle gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“It’s all right...it’s not like it makes a difference now, does it? Just promise you’ll do me one favor.”

“Name it,” Cassie agreed.

“I’m hoping this world doesn’t need any more Rangers, but if it does...you send them my way. I’m sure they’ll need some french fries.”

“And a few tips on keeping a secret identity, apparently?”

Adelle winked at her. “Count on it.”


End file.
